landing in the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon!

Hello from Bhutan!!! Finally after 55 hours of traveling, I made it to Thimphu yesterday morning. After sleeping for 13 hours, I feel like a real person again. It was definitely quite the journey to get here, but hey at least I get to say I've been to India. I met three other students who are part of the program at the airport, Hannah, Selina, and Jonah, and we were able to take on the rest of our travels together.

The flight from New Delhi to Paro was stunning. The sun was just starting to lighten the sky as we flew alongside the dazzling Himalayas. Seeing the mountains, I realized for the first time the scope of where I will be living for the next 4.5 months. It took until this very moment for this experience to feel real at all. Paro International Airport in Bhutan is said to be one of the most dangerous airports in the world due to it being nestled in the mountains. The landing was smooth, although we were definitely quite close to the mountains! I have never been in such a beautiful airport before (photo above is right after entering!). The attention to detail was impressive. Everything from the ceilings to the baggage carousel was meticulously decorated.

The director of the exchange, Sonam, met us at the airport and we tried butter tea, a Bhutanese staple, before making the one-hour ride to Thimphu. The winding roads through the mountains were stunning, and we often had a view of the Thimchu river snaking through the valley.

I am so happy to be here, and very excited to explore the campus and the city of Thimphu.